Sunday, May 24, 2009

I Visit the Mouse

I have a small confession to make: I like the Mouse. Mickey, that is. Disney World. It's kitschy, cheesy, appealing to the 7-year-old inside us (and outside us, if one happens to be seven), exploitative, expensive... but, let's face it, the Mouse does a great job. Far from the usual surly customer service one has begun to expect, the employees of the Mouse all seem to enjoy what they're doing. (I do not mean to suggest that they do enjoy what they're doing, but all I ask as a customer is that they fake it well. And they do.) The company is continually refining the science of crowd movement - remember the E ticket? (The 10-year-old Rhianon was unhappy when Mr. Jameson bought a package that had, in her view, too few E tickets and far too many A tickets.) The signs telling one how long the wait would be from particular spots? The timed ticket? Extra Magic Hours? And they understand that adults need some time, too: hence several decent restaurants and bars.

Miss Emilly Orr mentioned Mouse World in a recent post. I decided to pay a visit.

First off, points for the free mouse ears - in Mickey or Minnie flavors.Do I look seven?

Though Main Street U.S.A. doesn't look exactly like its theme park counterpark, the former certainly evokes the feeling of the latter.Main Street U.S.A. - in some America that time forgot

Cinderella Castle was a little disappointing, looking a little more like Legos than the real thing.

However, the rides I took were spot-on. The Haunted House, despite audio that kept cutting out, was an outstanding replica of the real thing. (Was that actually Bela Lugosi narrating, and was it the actual audio from the Disney ride?)

The little cars, with their abrupt swivels, were much like the real thing, too.

Some of the smaller rides are represented as well. I tried the Tea Cups until, just like 10-year-old Rhianon, I started to get queasy. Time to head to safer areas!

Anyone have a spare "A" ticket?

There is a Skyride that takes one above the themed areas - Tomorrowland, Fantastyland, and Frontierland.

I rode Mission to Mars in Tomorrowland, and it, too, was a pretty good imitation of the Disney ride, right down to the "Oh my gosh, a meteor strike! We have to get back to Earth immediately!" (Disney's way of getting the ride over with, and new fannies in the seat, as quickly as possible.)

Not the real Disney, of course. But close, and a heck of a lot cheaper.